We Love What the New White House Receptionist Has to Say About Being Deaf

Meet Leah Katz-Hernandez, the new White House receptionist. The 27-year-old from Connecticut works just feet away from the Oval Office. She greets each person who arrives to meet with President Barack Obama, oversees the Roosevelt Room and the West Wing meeting room and is in charge of the White House guest book, according to TODAY. She also happens to be deaf.

Katz-Hernandez got her start in the White House working on President Obama’s reelection campaign and later in first lady Michelle Obama’s office, according to Disability Scoop. The White House paired Katz-Hernandez with a sign-language interpreter who helps with various tasks like answering the West Wing phones.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity and also to show that deaf people can do anything,” Katz-Hernandez says through an interpreter in the video below.